


Asylum Adventures

by ShadowCrusade



Series: All Hallows Karma [10]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Anyways, M/M, Pre-Relationship, YALL I HAVE BEEN SICK AND ITS BEEN A WEEK, we got some spooks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:35:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27113413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowCrusade/pseuds/ShadowCrusade
Summary: Day 10: Spooky SightingsWhen Clover wants to investigate some of the more haunted sights in the City of Vale, maybe he gets more than what he bargains for when Qrow decides to take him on a tour.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Series: All Hallows Karma [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1950640
Comments: 8
Kudos: 33





	Asylum Adventures

**Author's Note:**

> Sooooooooo
> 
> ive been sick for the past week and it threw my whole schedule off for FG month. So I was gonna upload all at once, but now since I may or may not have Covid (gotta get tested) I think I'll just upload what I got so far. 
> 
> I have like three other prompts to upload, but dw guys! I'll upload all these as soon as im done with them since i dont want to keep hoarding them!!!

They say that for every settlement made by mankind, there is always a ghost story to be had. The ghost stories in Atlas revolved around the old mines within the tundra of Solitas. Too many accidents, too many wrongful deaths. The horror stories of Vacuo revolved around ancient spirits that are disturbed by the disappearance of the oasis that once thrived in the land. The forests of Anima were home to creatures that killed unsuspecting campers that wanted to revel in the forest’s beauty. 

Vale had a different kind of ghost story altogether. 

“This is what you wanted to do when you got here?” Qrow asked. “To go and explore the old abandoned asylum?” 

“I’ve always enjoyed ghost stories.” Clover told him. “And I heard that this was the most haunted place in Vale.” 

“You’re weird.” Qrow muttered as he took another sip from his drink. 

The two men seemed to have a tradition now. In the late morning, if Qrow wasn’t busy, they would meet each other at the coffee shop where they first met. It worked out since Clover slowly made his way to try all the drinks at the shop. At this point, Coco would simply surprise him with a new drink, or would simply use him as a guinea pig to test out new drinks. The results were enjoyable to say the least. 

“I don’t remember claiming not to be weird.” Clover retorted, as he took another sip of his limeade. “Besides, it’ll be fun, don’t you think?”

“If walking through an abandoned building is considered fun, then sure.” Qrow rolled his eyes. “So, how do you plan on getting to the building?”

Clover froze. “What do you mean?”

“You realise it’s on private property right? Some kids last year broke in and left a mess at the old place, so the property owners are very reluctant about leaving it open to the public again until those kids are found.” Qrow stated. “So, unless you’re going to break in...”

“No. I’m not gonna break in!” Clover exclaimed. “Sure, I wanted to see it, but I’m not that desperate.” 

“Desperate times call for desperate measures.” 

“I’m not a heathen, Qrow.” 

“Rude, what does that make me?”

“Chaotic.” Clover pointedly said as he took another sip from his drink. “Well, I’m sure there’s other haunted places to visit. Maybe, I can stop by one of those.”

“May not be as exciting as the asylum though.” Qrow said. 

“Well, there isn’t a whole lot I can do about that.” Clover reminded him. “If it’s closed off then I’m not about to tempt the wrath of the law just to see something spooky.” Another sip from the limeade. It had started to become bitter the longer the conversation continued. 

“What did you want to do there?” Qrow asked, face filled with curiosity.

Clover glanced up at him before he sighed. “Just see and tour the inside of it. Maybe do a bit of ghost hunting. Y’know, the ghostly tour package.” 

“Were you going to stay the night there?”

“I don’t know if I’m brave enough for that.” Clover stated. “I like ghost stories, but I’ll freely admit that I tend to get spooked by the supernatural pretty easily.” Qrow laughed as he shook his head at the man’s response. “Well, not all of us can be as brave and unafraid as you Qrow.”

“It comes with being a journalist.” Qrow finished up his drink. “Well, you got any plans for the rest of the day?”

“Aside from finding a new haunted place to explore? Not much. Just lunch with Elm and Vine.” Clover recalled as he checked the time. He’d need to head to the mainland soon if he wanted to be there on time. 

“Well, you should probably head back.” Qrow said, as he seemed to notice Clover checking the time. 

“Probably...” He agreed as the two men exited the shop. Qrow had walked him over to the docks of the ferry where the last of passengers were loading up for the midday ride back to the city of Vale. “See you around?” 

“Yeah, I’ll see you around Lucky Charm.” Clover went on the ride and waved to Qrow as the ferry started it’s trek on the sea. He watched as Patch became a distant shadow in the horizon. He thought about the story that Qrow had told the day before, about the Kingfisher. It was an interesting legend, unique to Patch. He was surprised that no one from the mainland had even brought up the story. Maybe, since the miracle took place on Patch, it’s why it was a bigger deal on the island as opposed to the rest of the kingdom. 

As the ferry reached it’s stop, Clover could see both Elm and Vine waiting for him. Clover thought about it for a second before he realised he never actually told them that he had gone to Patch. He waved at his friends as they waved back. After he disembarked, he met up with his two friends, who seemed to be ready for the day. 

“So, how is the birdman?” Elm asked, as they started to walk.

Clover tripped. “What?”

“The birdman? Red eyes? The man with long legs and a spiky hairdo.” Elm listed off her descriptions of the tall, dark haired man. 

“She’s referring to the current man of your affection.” Vine stated, as the three piled into the rental car. 

“Whoa, wait a sec-”

“Clover Ebi, if the next words out of your mouth are ‘I don’t have a crush on him.’ I’m going to strangle you.” Elm warned as she started up the engine. “That ship for denial has sailed my friend. You are head over heels about that man.”

“Okay, so he’s cute...”

“And talented.” Elm pointed out. 

“And also very funny.” Vine added. “Even if his humor tends to be self depreciating.”

“And he’s pretty laid back.” Elm paused. “He’s your type.”

“I didn’t know I had become so predictable.” Clover lamented. 

“Clover, we can read you better than you know the back of your hand.” Vine said. “The three of us have been friends for years, we know each other too well.” 

“Okay, fair enough.” Clover admitted. He wasn’t even sure why he thought it would be a good idea to even try to deny his affection towards the other man. Elm had been teasing about Qrow since almost day one. She got a read on him better than he did himself. 

Weird how friendships worked like that. 

The trio went to lunch where both Elm and Vine continued to tease Clover about his newfound crush. Clover hoped that a sinkhole would open up beneath him so that he could get away from his friends. He was surprised that he had seen less of both Marrow and Harriet throughout this trip than he thought he would. Although, based on Marrow’s snapchat’s that he would send him, it seemed like he was bonding more with the kids closer to his age. Harriet had more of a competitive friendship with Yang, Nora, and Ruby. Clover could only imagine the chaos of the four girls as they tried to outdo each other at everything

Once lunch was finished, the three of them took their time as they walked through the streets of Vale. More Halloween decorations were put up as the city started to blend in with colors of oranges and purples. They continued to walk back to Clover’s apartment when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Elm and Vine were engaged in a conversation about their respective costumes when he pulled out his phone to look at the message. 

_(2:23) are you and your friends doing anything tonight_

Clover thought for a moment. 

(2:23) Marrow and Harriet might be spending time with your kids. I don’t think that Elm and Vine are doing anything though. Why?

_(2:24) cool cool_

_(2:24) you know where the outlook is right_

(2:24) The one with the old observatory?

_(2:24) yeah that one_

_(2:25) you think you and your friends can meet us there at like 8_

Clover looked at the message for a second. He paused in his tracks as he reread the message. He looked up at his two friends who were still lost in conversation as they kept walking in front of him. 

(2:25) Yeah. We can.

_(2:25) perfect_

“So, the three of us have plans tonight.” Clover told his two friends. The two of them turned to face him. “Qrow’s invited us to the outlook at the old observatory.” 

“He’s invited us? Or did he invite you and you’re too scared to go by yourself.” Elm asked as Vine tried his best to hide his smirk. 

Clover ignored the teasing tone as he showed them the message. “He asked for the three of us.” 

“I wonder who he’s bringing.” Vine commented as he read the message. “It seems like he might be bringing someone with him.”

“Probably one of the kids.” Clover suggested. He wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Qrow brought Ruby to the location. The two of them almost seemed inseparable. Ruby seemed to be closer to her honorary uncle as opposed to her actual father. 

“I wonder what he’s got planned.” Elm wondered as the trio continued to make their way to Clover’s apartment. 

Another buzz from the phone grabbed Clover’s attention as he glanced back down. 

_(2:30) wear something sporty ;)_

* * *

“Should we be concerned about why we have to wear athletic gear?” Vine asked as he readjusted his windbreaker. “Are we going for a run in the dark?”

Elm shrugged. “Maybe he’s challenging us to a competition.” The zipper of her jacket hung loosely as she hadn’t bothered to zip it. Her long basketball shorts almost seemed to contradict the use of the jacket, but then again Clover couldn’t say anything. He was wearing his usual style of a white colored sleeveless hoodie with a pair of gray running sweats. 

The three of them awaited closer to the outlook when a pair of headlights approached slowly at the observatory. A familiar red truck parked next to their rental car as the engine was shut off. The door on the driver’s side opened as the three slowly approached. A familiar mop of blonde hair greeted them as Clover felt himself relax. 

“Hey, you three!” Taiyang greeted, a small bundle in his arms. “You weren’t waiting long were you?”

“Not very long.” Clover replied as they all stood close to each other. The bundle that Tai had wasn’t extra clothes, it was a dog. 

A corgi to be exact. 

“You brought Zwei?” Clover asked as the small dog barked and jumped from his owner to Clover. “Well, hey there little guy!” The dog immediately licked the side of Clover’s face. “You coming with us to do...whatever it is that we’re doing?” The dog barked in agreement. 

“He might be helpful...for emotional support.” Tai added after a second. 

“For what?” Elm asked, concern on her face. 

“For ghost and demon hunting!” Qrow announced as he appeared out of nowhere. Clover tried not to jump at the sudden arrival, and he hoped that it didn’t show. Qrow placed a backpack on the ground as he opened it up. Inside, Clover could see different types of equipment and he wondered what uses they had. 

“Wait, what?!” 

Qrow only smirked at him. “So, I managed to talk Glynda into letting us go on property grounds in the asylum.”

Clover couldn’t believe his luck. “Are you serious?”

Qrow nodded. “The only way she’d let me go is if I brought some other adults with me because responsibility or whatever.” Qrow rolled his eyes. “She said yes when I said Tai was going, so from there it was pretty easy for her to say to you guys tagging along.” 

“So you knew the property manager.” Clover stated. 

“Yeah....we go way back.” Qrow told him. There was something hidden there in that statement, although with the way Qrow averted his eyes, perhaps he shouldn’t push it. “Anyways,” Qrow held up a key ring with a multitude of keys present on it. “GoodyWitch gave me the keys, so we just gotta give them back when we’re done.” 

“Wait, why are we meeting here if the asylum is further ahead. Isn’t there a road that leads there?” Vine asked. Taiygang immediately started to laugh. 

“Oh buddy, if you’re gonna go ghost hunting, then you gotta do it the right way.” Taiyang patted his shoulder. “We’re starting at the bridge and we’re gonna trek our way over to the asylum.” 

“Here, you guys might need this.” Qrow said as he handed them each a headlamp. “And this.” Walkie-talkies were handed to them as well. “Does anyone want a knife?”

“What?!”

“Qrow, I thought we agreed no knives this time.” Taiyang said. 

Qrow snickered. “I’m just kidding Tai.”

“Are you though?” Qrow showed the bag to Tai as the blond man peered in. “Okay, you are.”

Qrow readjusted the backpack on his back, his thick hoodie almost hiding the backpack. The man looked like he was ready to go out on a winter run with the amount of heavy gear he was wearing. Taiyang had on a pair of shorts with a long sleeve, seemingly unbothered by the fact that they were going somewhere haunted. Qrow turned on the headlamp on his as he grabbed a smaller headlamp and walked over to Clover. 

“Qrow, I’ve already got one.”

Qrow rolled his eyes. “Not for you.” The dog that was still in his arms immediately faced the man as he stilled his little body. Qrow slid the headlamp over the dog’s head as a few extra straps helped to secure the light in between his ears. The dog shook his head a little, as it tested the lamp on his head. Qrow made a few adjustments before the dog barked happily. “Perfect.” He said as Zwei signaled that he wanted to be let go. Qrow turned the light on and as Clover sat the dog on the ground. The little dog strutted proudly over to the trail that they were about to embark on, as if he was leading the way. 

Taiyang chuckled. “Lead the way, Zwei.”

* * *

The trail was surprisingly calm. The group were all joking with each other as they followed the trail downwards. Vine and Tai had found themselves in idle conversation while Elm was more than happy to play fetch with Zwei. Qrow and Clover were a little behind the group, as the two of them walked beside each other. Clover could see the stars through the branches of the trees that surrounded them on the pathway. The two men had made idle conversation, but now the two walked together in silence. 

It wasn’t too long before Clover could hear the sound of rushing water. “Is that water?” 

Qrow nodded, a smirk grew on his face. “Looks like we’re at our first stop.” The group slowly approached an old rickety bridge. When they got closer, Clover could see a river below. With the darkness of the night, Clover couldn’t tell if the water was shallow or not. Although he imagined that a fall from the bridge would probably not be recommended. 

“Welcome to the Grimm Bridge.” Qrow introduced as they all stood at one end of the bridge. “A bridge that is allegedly haunted by the Grimm demon Cabra.” 

“Wait...As in the demon bridge?” Elm asked, concern in her tone. “The demon bridge that has thrown people off it before?”

Qrow walked onto the bridge before he turned to face the group. “This is the same bridge.” Clover let that information sink in before he could feel goosebumps on the back of his neck. “Tai, if you would like to do the honors.”

The blond man stepped closer to the darker haired man. He sat down, Zwei acted as a lantern as the small dog sat in front of him with Qrow following suit. The three Atlesians all looked at each other before they followed the example that was shown to them. Clover sat next to Qrow as his friends all sat down, making a circle. Zwei barked which helped to alleviate some of the nervousness. 

Taiyang cleared his throat. “This tale begins like most ghost stories do,” He began. “With absolute idiocy.” 

_The story of the bridge begins when the kingdom of Vale first appeared. There were settlements that were popping up everywhere throughout Sanus. The city of Vale was the first successful settlement to pop up and the people thrived in the city. There were plenty of resources, the land was fertile and it’s landscape protected the humans from any threat from outsiders. All seemed to prosper for the Kingdom._

_That’s when the trouble began..._

_No one knows what could have led to the events that transpired between the king and his wife. Some say it was because of a dispute of power. Others say it was a tale of unfaithfulness. The stories are all different, but one thing does remain consistent, the death of the Queen._

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” Elm muttered, completely breaking the atmosphere. Taiyang cackled as everyone else chuckled. 

“Anyways...”

_The story goes that one day, the Queen had gone without escort into the woods. She disappeared under the cover of darkness, for a dark favor-_

“Look at me! I’m the Queen running into the night somehow none of my palace guards noticed that I’m running away! What a joke.” Qrow flailed around, once again breaking the atmosphere.

“Qrow are you going to let me tell this story or not?” Tai asked as Qrow apologized. Clover could only laugh as the two joked. 

Tai cleared his throat. 

_A dark favor, that would result in total domination over the Kingdom of Vale. The Queen sought out the Ancient Spirits in hopes to dethrone her husband so that she may take over as ruler. The Spirits listened to her request and granted it, at a price._

_If the Queen wanted to rule the Kingdom of Vale with an ironfist, then it would cost something of equal value to her. On the night of a full moon, the Queen would have to sacrifice her youngest daughter to the Spirits._

“What is it with old spirits or villains wanting to kill kids?” Elm asked, as Vine listened to her. 

“I believe it’s because of the innocence that children carry. They represent purity, in a sense.” Vine answered. 

Taiyang nodded his head. “That’s exactly right.” 

_The youngest daughter of the royal family was stated to have been the kindest out of them all. She treated everyone with equality, and was often seen in the city playing with children her age regardless of class. She was loved by the Kingdom, and despite being the youngest, the King of Vale proclaimed her as heir to the throne once it was time._

_The Queen accepted the choice as she saw the logic within. She returned to the castle, and awaited the days for the next full moon. When the full moon arrived, she absconded with her youngest daughter to the dark woods. There the Ancient Spirits came forth and gave instruction on how the sacrifice was to be made._

_They would require her heart._

_The young princess had no idea what was happening until it was too late. She pleaded with her mother, begging her to not take such a dark path. The Queen, who was filled with bloodlust and a need for power, paid no heed to her daughter’s words. It almost seemed like the end was near for the princess._

_And then help arrived._

“Oh thank god.” Clover sighed in relief as Qrow nudged him. 

_The King had somehow discovered his wife’s plan and sent in the calvary to rescue his daughter. He led the charge as his spear pierced his wife’s arm, cutting it off from her body. The clerics that the King had brought were set on destroying the Ancient Spirits, to prevent any more harm. With the ritual ruined and the Queen’s own blood spilling from where her arm was severed-_

“Sounds to me like she might need a helping hand.” Qrow snicked as Clover couldn’t contain his laughter. Taiyang glared at the both of them.

_The Ancients had no choice but to find a way to attach themselves to this world._

_They used the Queen as their anchor, piling in whatever power they had left into her body. The power of such evil was not made to be tamed by mankind, and thus had transformed the Queen into something....despicable. The transformation gave the Queen horns, similar to that of a goat. A symbol of evil. In place of her severed arm, came forth a snake, that would kill anyone with one bite. Her other arm transformed a long slender hand, who’s spindly fingers would scramble the insides of the victims that fell before her. The bottom half of her body resembled the body of a horse. The hooves covered in bone fragments of her old human body, her extremities became loose, with no flexion to it._

_She was no longer human. She had become a monster._

_The clerics had no choice, but to seal her away in between the realms of life and death. The Queen had almost taken something very precious from the Kingdom, and in doing so, it cost her humanity. The clerics could only do so much to keep her rageful spirit locked away. In order to appease the balance of the world, they built a bridge that it meant to represent the path from life to death. On this bridge, the soul of the Grimm Queen resides, sealed away by the same blood she was willing to shed._

_Many people have come to this bridge skeptical, not believing the story to be true. However, people have felt immense sadness and rage from this bridge. So much emotion that some people are never the same after visiting the bridge. Some stories say that people disappeared without a trace after passing through the bridge. Other stories suggest that people died on this bridge, after the Queen beckoned them to her. Others have gone insane. People stay away from the bridge, for fear that the Queen will grab their soul, and tear it apart. Piece by piece. Until there is nothing left, but the empty shell of a human you once were._

“Boo!” Qrow yelled as he jabbed at Clover’s side. Clover let out a yelp of fear before he angrily glared at the other man. “The look on your face was totally worth it.”

“You should learn to respect the dead and the stories Qrow.” Taiyang said as he stood up from his spot. The others following suit. “Or the next thing you know, you’ll be on the Queen’s chopping block.”

“Oooooh, I’m so scared.” Qrow said sarcastically. He walked forward towards the other end of the bridge. “What’s she gonna do? Attack me? God forbid-Shit!” The creak and groan of wood was all the warning they got before Qrow suddenly fell through the bridge. 

Clover lunged forward towards the spot where Qrow had fallen through. “Qrow!” The gaping hole in the bridge became more apparent as he fell to his knees right before it. 

There was no sign of Qrow. 

Before he could call out to the others. There was a rhythmic tapping on the wooden slats on the bridge. Clover listened intently, trying to discern what kind of sound it was. _It almost sounds like hooves._

_The bottom half of her body resembled the body of a horse. The hooves covered in bone fragments of her old human body...._

Clover sucked in a breath. The sounds of hooves got louder the closer they got to him. His whole body shivered in response as he tried to get his body to move. The clacking of the hooves got louder before they suddenly stopped. The temperature around him felt like it had dropped and Clover could feel something staring as he dreaded to look at what it was. A small whisper in the wind is what caused him to look behind him. He saw Elm and Vine at the end of the bridge as they both held onto Taiyang, who looked like he was in shock. Clover wanted to reach out to them, but another whisper drew his attention back to the hole where Qrow had disappeared. Clover slowly turned his head back as the hole seemed to just darken. Clover could no longer hear the sound of the rushing river below as the sound of his own heartbeat pounded in his ears. 

“Qrow?” Clover weakly called out. His voice barely above a whisper as it cracked slightly. 

Silence.

Suddenly, a white face as pale as the moon with blood eyes appeared from the hole. Blood seemingly splattered on the face as it got close to Clover. “Boo!” Clover screamed as he fell back, he could hear Elm and Vine scream for him as he collapsed onto his back. 

_This is it. This is how I die. By going on a haunted bridge. I should have known better. This is the end. Goodbye world. It was nice to be alive while I could. Qrow’s laughing at me right now- wait a minute._

Clover propped himself up on his elbows. And almost immediately, wanted to throw himself off the bridge. From the hole, was a masked figure that he had seen just moments before. However, despite only seeing the head, the familiar greying strands could be seen as muffled laughter could be heard underneath the mask. The mask was removed as the man underneath was revealed. 

“Qrow?!” Clover yelled as the other man howled with laughter. Behind him, he could hear laughter as he turned to face Elm and the others. Elm was currently slumped onto the ground as she grabbed onto her chest while she fanned herself. Vine had his mouth wide open in shock as Taiyang was on the ground howling with laughter. Zwei slowly padded his way over the bridge and towards Clover. No doubt sensing his emotional distress. 

“We gotchu good Lucky Charm!” Qrow declared as he wiped the tears from his face. He pulled himself up from the hole with ease. “You should have seen the look on your face!” 

“I thought you-Ugh!” Clover kicked at the leaner man, although the other man simply dodged. “I really thought you had fallen through the hole!” He got to his feet as he swatted at the other man. “I seriously thought you got hurt Qrow! Ugh!” Clover heard the footsteps as it approached the two men. Tai and his friends joined up with them as Clover bent over to scoop Zwei into his arms. 

“Sorry you guys, but when Qrow told me about you guys wanting to visit the asylum, we figured we’d put in a little bit of a scare for you.” Tai explained. “The reaction we got was even better than what we were expecting.”

“Glad I could provide some quality humor for you guys.” Clover muttered as the corgi in his arms licked the side of his face. 

“I will admit you terrified me with your prank.” Vine admitted. “Truly, nothing has terrified me more.” 

Elm cackled, the nervousness in her posture dissipating. “The two of you are certainly a joy to be around. What an interesting story you came up with to scare us with! Perfect.”

“Oh no, the story is real.” Tai pointed as the relaxed atmosphere disintegrated almost immediately.

“...it’s what?” Clover whispered. 

Qrow had zipped the mask away onto his backpack. “The story? That is the real legend of this area.” He explained. “Granted this bridge has been rebuilt a couple of times because of the forest fires and floods the city had. But, that’s the story of the Grimm Bridge.”

“And you still thought it would be a good idea to scare us?” Vine asked. “What happened to respecting the spirits?” 

“I do very much respect the spirits.” Tai clarified. “I just don’t care all that much for ghost stories with no proof. Although, I will absolutely not mess with a ouija board. Don’t bring that crap into my house.” Tai warned as he stepped around the hole. “Qrow, on the hand, doesn’t believe in spirits at all.” 

“Ghosts aren’t real Tai.” Qrow retorted. “They’re just a superstition that someone came up with to justify bad behaviour to their kids.” They all laughed with much more ease as they trotted off the bridge. 

“Hey Cloves...” Qrow lightly tapped the man’s shoulder. Clover turned his head to face him. “Were you really that worried about me?”

 _What kind of question is that?_ “Of course I was worried.” Clover told him. “I know we haven’t known each other that long, but at the very least we are friends, aren’t we?” The response seemed to take Qrow by surprise. “So, why wouldn’t I be concerned?” Qrow had only stared at him. Out of the corner of his eye, Clover could see the rest of their group walking away from them, as they followed the trail. “Maybe...we should catch up with everyone?”

Qrow blinked, as if somehow coming back to his senses. “Yeah...”

* * *

“Somehow the Grimm bridge is more comforting than this.” Clover said. “How is that possible?” 

“It’s the ambience.” Qrow informed him as he unlocked the gates. “Welcome to the Wicked Cliffs Asylum.” The gates creaked open as the darkened abandoned building loomed overhead. Clover would have almost welcomed a thunderstorm, it would have made it comical. Tai quietly closed the gates behind them as they stepped further into the grounds of the asylum. The group slowly walked to the front door. Qrow flipped through the keys to find the right one as a cold breeze blew past the group. 

“Got it!” Qrow stated as the door creaked open. The group entered, and a flashlight illuminated the entryway. “This is the main lobby of the old asylum.” Qrow told the group as he took the initiative to lead them. “If we go up the stairs, those will be the living quarters of the doctors and nurses that lived in this asylum.” 

“You seem to know a lot about this place.” Elm pointed out. “Is there a reason for that or?”

“I did a piece on the asylum last year for the seventy fifth anniversary of it’s creation.” Qrow informed them. “So, I got an in depth tour of the place and talked with all the historians about the place. Plus, I also got to interview some of the people that used to work there. So, it was a pretty enlightening experience.” 

“Sounds like you got the best tour.” Elm lamented. “Don’t suppose you’d be our guide.” 

“For the tour of the building sure, when it comes to the ghosts that supposedly linger here, you’ll have to ask the expert Taiyang for that.” 

“I’d be more than happy to do that.” Tai volunteered. “With the amount of times that Glynda talked about this place, I pretty much know all there is to it.” 

“Perfect!” Elm exclaimed. “We can get the history of this place and also a ghostly tour.” Elm started to chat up Tai about the spirits that potentially lived there. Clover had wandered over to the plaque that gave a brief history of the place. Although, it had only talked about its positive impact. If spirits truly lingered in the asylum, then there must have been some downsides. 

“You planning on staying down here with Zwei or?” Qrow’s voice whispered in his ear as Clover jumped a little. Qrow chuckled a little before he pet the small corgi that was still being carried by the sleeveless man. “Tai and your friends went upstairs to look at the rooms of the staff that lived here.”

“I guess we should probably make our way up to them.” 

“We could.”

“...I’m sensing an ‘or’ here.” 

“We could go on our own tour.” Qrow suggested. “Three up there and us three down here exploring.” Clover considered it for a moment. He’d be ditching Elm and Vine once again to hang out with Qrow, which made him feel bad. Then again, they happily went upstairs with Tai and didn’t even notice he was still down here. So, really, how bad could the situation be?

“Yeah, let’s do that.” 

“Which way do we wanna start?”

* * *

The West Wing of the asylum was ten times creepier than Qrow had initially led him to believe. Despite Qrow’s earlier statement about Taiyang being the ghost expert of the asylum, it seemed that Qrow himself had some knowledge of the spirits that may or may not linger in the old building. The exploration of the West Wing was relatively quiet. No ghostly activity, at least. Which Clover was grateful for since he didn’t think he could handle anymore scares after the first one at the bridge. 

Zwei had taken to looking in every room that they had passed by. The West Wing mostly consisted of the rooms of the patients that had once lived. There were a few rooms that were used as the nurse’s office in case of something more immediate. The small little dog would dart from one side of the hallway to the other, investigating every room. Clover couldn’t help but chuckle, with the headlamp that was still on the dog’s head, it was comical to watch the zig zag pattern of the small dog. 

“He seems to be having the time of his life in here.” Clover said as Zwei darted into another room. 

“Animals aren’t allowed to be in here typically.” Qrow told him as he peered into a room. “But Glynda isn’t going to say no to Tai, much less to Zwei. Especially since this is an unofficial visit to the grounds.” Qrow explained. “So as long as Zwei doesn’t leave a mess, everything should be fine.” 

“Let’s make sure to keep the groundskeeper happy.” Clover said as they continued down the corridor. They turned left at the end of the hallway, Zwei’s light bounced around as he continued to explore the rooms. There were a few empty wheelchairs that lingered in the hallway which was slightly off putting. 

“They put the wheelchairs there to make it extra spooky during the haunted tours.” Qrow informed as he walked past one. “Anything that’s left out in the hallways were made to be like that.” Clover followed quickly behind the other man as they passed by another bedroom. “The rooms are mostly intact from what they looked like from when the hospital was in full operation. Determining the patients and what room they were assigned to was a bit more trivial.”

“How so?”

Qrow hummed for a moment as he peered down an off branch hallway. “The old records that were found weren’t in good shape. Not to mention, there was some shitty documentation at this hospital. So, it’s hard to find anything completely accurate. What they managed to find was from connecting the dots from other paperwork and they had to fill in the gaps.” 

“It sounds like it was a lot of work.”

“It is. They are still discovering new patients that lived here all the time. Going through handwritten records is a pain in the ass.” Qrow looked around for a second, and back behind them. Clover tilted his head in confusion as he could see the worry on Qrow’s face start to appear. “I think...we lost Zwei.” 

Clover glanced around and realised that the zigzag light of the small dog had disappeared. “Maybe he turned around a different hallway?”

“That’s what I’m hoping for.” 

The two began looking in the rooms in hopes of finding the small dog. Qrow whistled for him as Clover called out the dog's name. The pair stuck together as they checked the series of corridors they were on. There was no sign of the small dog. 

“Tai is going to murder me if Zwei isn’t found.” 

“Maybe we should split up?” Clover suggested. Qrow shot him a look of disbelief. “Zwei couldn’t have left the floor. He has to be around here somewhere. So, I’ll check down this hallway and you keep going down this one. We’ll have a better chance of finding Zwei that way.”

“Yeah and a better chance of you getting lost, Lucky Charm.” Qrow said. “You don’t know the asylum, I’ve been here before so I remember my way around a lot better than you might.” 

“Then you’ll find me.” Clover said. “If I get lost, you’ll find me.”

“You are putting way too much faith in me.”

“Aren’t crows supposed to be intelligent?” Clover asked. Qrow stopped talking. “So, be smart like your namesake and find me.” Clover told him. “Besides, I’m the ‘Lucky Charm’ right? I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“Famous last words.” Qrow muttered. “Alright, fine. You have your phone?” Clover nodded. “Alright,” Qrow rummaged through his backpack for a moment before he pulled out a glowstick. He cracked the stick as he dropped the stick where they stood. “In thirty minutes we meet back here, Zwei or no Zwei. You got your walkie?” Clover held his up from his pocket. “Channel Three is what we’ll use, Tai normally uses Channel One so this way he doesn’t realise we lost his dog.” Clover nodded. “Alright, let’s find the damn corgi.” The two split up, Qrow disappeared around the corner almost instantly as Clover investigated each room. 

“Zwei!” He called out. “Zwei! Come here boy!” He could faintly hear Qrow whistle from his side. “Zwei! Come out!” Still no sign of the dog. Clover walked and turned into several different corridors and still no sign of the dog. _Oh my god, how could one corgi get lost in an asylum?_ He peered down another hallway, quickly scanning for a light source. Just as he was about to continue down the hallway he was in, a faint glimmer of something shiny caught his attention. Clover stared down the hallway once more, but didn’t see anything. 

_I wonder..._

Clover reached up and shut his headlamp off. There, towards the end of a hallway was a shifting light. He turned his light back on as he jogged down the hallway. One of the doors was shut and he could see a light from beneath the door. 

“Zwei?” He called again, as he pressed his ear to the door. A faint bark responded and Clover almost shouted with euphoria. He grabbed the walkie-talkie from his pocket as he radioed Qrow. “I found Zwei. He’s in a room.” Clover immediately went to open the door, but found that it was jammed. He tried to turn the knob, but it wouldn’t move. He slammed the side of his body into the door in hopes to get it open. It didn’t move. 

“Hey Qrow, the door to the room that Zwei’s in is kind of stuck. If you could come to my side that would be great.” Clover spoke into the device as he waited for a response. 

All he got was static. 

_Are we too far out of range from each other?_

“Crap.” What else could he say. It was up to him to save the corgi. Clover slammed into the door a couple of more times, before he gave his shoulder a rest. He could hear the dog start to whine from the other side of the door. “Don’t worry buddy. I’ll get you out.” Clover tried to reassure the dog. 

_Okay, one last try._

Clover steadied himself on the opposite wall from the door. It was a short distance, so it would have to be a powerful stride. He readied himself as focused on the door. Clover ran at the door, he hoped that he would have enough force to knock the door down. 

Fate had other plans.

Right as Clover’s feet left the ground to slam into the door, the stuck down suddenly opened up. He didn’t even have time to slow himself down before he tumbled through the doorway. It was through the grace of the Brother Gods that he didn’t completely face plant into the concrete floor. He balanced himself before he let out a sigh of relief. A small bark grabbed his attention. 

“Zwei!” Clover was relieved to see the little corgi as the small dog ran into his arms. “How did you get trapped in here buddy?” The small dog whined as Clover picked him up and walked out of the room. He turned his headlamp back on as he exited and started to walk down the hallway from where he found him. “Qrow, I’ve got Zwei.” Still nothing. The small dog shivered in his arms as Clover held him closer to his chest. “It’s alright, we’ll find Qrow and be on our way.”

A few turns down some hallways and Clover quickly realised one thing.

“We’re lost.” He tried to look around for anything familiar, but everything had looked completely the same. “Qrow?!” He called out. The walkie didn’t seem to be good for much, so it wouldn’t hurt to call out. “Qrow! Can you hear me?!” Clover looked down at his options of hallways and picked one to commit to. He looked down at the time and realised it was close to the time that the pair were supposed to meet up. 

_Surely, I couldn’t have gone that far from where we split off._

Clover seriously began to contemplate his sense of direction when Zwei started to whimper. The poor dog was shaking once more as Clover tried to comfort him. The small dog began to bark into the darkness in front of them. He looked up, but didn’t see anything that was worth the reaction. The hairs on Zwei’s body began to stand up as Clover felt an almost unnatural chill approach. The light on his head started to flicker off and instinctively, he took a step back. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Clover followed his instinct.

And ran. 

He barreled down the hallway, Zwei in arms as the small dog barked and growled at whatever was behind them. He darted in between corridors in the attempt to get as far away from that chill as possible. He looked around at his surroundings and well..

If he wasn’t lost before, he sure was now. 

He looked around for anything familiar. The light on his headlamp had completely flickered out. He was wandering in the dark with Zwei’s own headlamp slowly dying. In a place he didn’t know. Clover immediately shook his head at his own idiocy. _I should have listened to Qrow. Splitting up was the worst decision I could make. That’s a classic horror movie mistake. Now, I’m lost with probably some evil ghost and I can’t even find my partner._ He buried his head in Zwei’s fur, as he tried to focus his thoughts. 

A warm breeze shuffled around him. And Clover immediately felt comforted by it. It reminded Clover of a breeze during a summer night. This warm breeze carried a silent strength to it. Encouragement is how he would describe it. He looked up and caught the tail end of what looked to be white cloak disappearing around the corner. He followed it. And the pattern continued. He would never get close enough to see the person that guided him, just a tail end of the white cloak, with a warmth that made him feel safe. He followed it until it no longer appeared, and both his and Zwei’s lights came back to life. 

“Clover!” He heard a familiar voice call from down the hall. “Clover! Where are you?!” Zwei barked as the light from down the hall turned the corner. There, at the end of the hallway, stood Qrow, a worried expression on his face. “There you are! I couldn’t get through to you on the walkie. I figured something went wrong.” Qrow had walked all the way up to Clover. The other man firmly planted where he stood when he saw the other man. “Hey, you found Zwei though! That’s good.” Qrow pet the small dog as Clover let out a sigh of relief as Qrow just looked at him. “Hey...are you okay.”

Clover could only nod as he leaned his head on Qrow’s shoulder. He could feel Qrow slowly wrap his arms around him as best as he could. It was kind of awkward with the corgi in between them, but somehow they made it work. Clover let himself sink into the warmth. Call it good fortune, but being here in Qrow’s arms was the best feeling in the world at the moment.

They stood there for a few minutes before Qrow spoke again. “You ready to meet up with Tai and the others?” Clover nodded again. He lifted his head up from Qrow’s shoulder as he found himself in closer contact with the man that he thought. His face brushed up against the stubble on Qrow’s face lightly. Their noses almost touched as they made eye contact. Clover could feel himself slowly lean closer to Qrow, as the other man’s eyes became half lidded. He could feel the dark haired man’s gentle breath against his lips. His own eyes closed as he leaned to close the distance. 

Sure, getting chased by an evil ghost and then getting a kiss from the guy you’ve been crushing on wasn’t the ideal romantic situation. However, it was still a pretty solid win. Or, at least it would have been if Elm didn’t have such crappy timing. 

“Hey Clover! You guys here?!” Elm’s voice echoed into the hallways. The effect was immediate. Both Qrow and Clover shot apart as if a cannonball had blazed between them. “Clover! Where ya at bestie?!”

“Here Elm!” He called back as the multitude of footsteps could be heard. No doubt Taiyang and Vine had come along. Clover still held Zwei in his arms as the dog seemed to notice the new voice that had entered the area. Clover could still feel the heat in his cheeks as he glanced over at Qrow. The man currently had his face pressed against the wall, hiding away from the group. 

They soon rounded the corner and Elm waved over to her friend. The brunette released the small corgi from his arms as he ran over to his owner. Elm was all smiles when she walked up to her friend as Vine had a small smile on his face. 

“So, this place is definitely haunted.” Elm told him as she swung her arm around him. “While we were walking around in the staff dorms, there were a couple of doors that slammed shut on us. You totally missed out, Shamrock!” 

Clover thought back to his chase in the corridors around the corner. “Somehow, I don’t think I did.” 

“Whatever you say man, but listen, we’re gonna explore the tunnels beneath the asylum. So, we figured we’d come find you guys.” Elm explained. 

“Oh...that sounds terrifying.” Clover said as Vine offered an understanding shrug. 

“It’ll be an adventure!” Elm declared as she pulled Vine in with her other arm. “The three musketeers brave the haunted tunnels of an asylum!”

“Elm, no.” Vine remarked as the two immediately got into a debate. Clover looked over and noticed Tai and Qrow speaking to each other. The small corgi in Tai’s arms now. The blonde had laughed at something Qrow had said as the other man immediately tried to quiet him down. Green eyes only observed the scene as Qrow looked embarrassed. Whether by chance or still not wanting to be seen close to the blond at the moment, Qrow looked at Clover. 

Clover only offered a small smile and in return Qrow gave a small, bashful smile. 

“What do you say Cloves?” Elm asked. “Up for some more spooky shit?” 

“One more haunting wouldn’t hurt.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!!!


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